Extensible file synchronization

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods provide custom synchronization procedures in file synchronization. A primary agent is used to monitor for changes, create synchronization plans to synchronized changes, and execute the synchronization plan. The primary agent, however, interacts with one or more separate custom agents to customize the synchronization plans. One exemplary technique involves monitoring for local changes to a first copy of a file tree and updates from another computing device regarding remote changes to a second copy of the file tree. When a change to either copy is identified, a synchronization plan for the change is created based on a default synchronization procedure. The synchronization plan is sent to a custom agent for customization. The custom agent creates the custom synchronization plan by modifying the synchronization plan and sends the custom synchronization plan to the primary agent. The custom synchronization plan is then executed by the primary agent.

CROSS REFERENCES

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S.application Ser. No. 15/293,109, filed on Oct. 13, 2016 entitledEXTENSIBLE FILE SYNCHRONIZATION. The entire contents of the foregoingapplication are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to computer-implemented techniques andmore particularly relates to improving the efficiency and effectivenessof computing systems used to synchronize files on multiple computingdevices and in cloud computing systems.

BACKGROUND

File synchronization is the task of keeping a file tree of files andfolders on one computing device the same as a file tree on anothercomputing device, as changes are made to the copies of the file tree oneither of the computing devices. For example, a file tree can be storedon both a client device and a cloud server and synchronized between thetwo computing devices. Typically, synchronization is achieved by asynchronization agent running on a computing device. The agent monitorslocal changes and receives updates from the other computing device tosynchronize the file tree copies. Acting on this information, the agentwill affect uploads and downloads to bring the copies of the file treeinto line on the computing devices. File synchronization functions aregenerally provided by a single agent using a one-size-fits-allsynchronization algorithm. However, the files and folders that aresynchronized are often used by multiple applications and for variouspurposes that may require synchronization procedures that differ fromthe standard ones provided by the algorithm. Applications and businessesprocesses that are used in coordination with the file synchronizationsystem have their own requirements for synchronization in particularcircumstances. For example, these synchronization procedure sources(i.e., the applications and business processes) can require customsynchronization procedures for specific file types, specific files,and/or specific folders. For example, a specific application, such as avideo editing application, may require synchronizing changes of itsfiles on-demand rather than using the standard algorithm'sas-soon-as-possible procedure. As another example, particular parts of afile tree may be synchronized in a unique way, for example, based on aprocedure that only downloads and uploads files under a particular size.

Existing systems implement custom synchronization procedures by directlymodifying the synchronization algorithm used by the synchronizationagent to account for each added custom synchronization procedure. Ifthere is a variation in procedure for a particular folder, e.g., one-waysynchronization, then this is activated either by incorporating specificlogic into the source code or by creating configuration optionsspecifically to handle the particular variation. Similarly, in order toachieve file synchronization with special handling for particular areasof the file tree, existing systems will combine unrelated logic into thesingle agent. For example, selective synchronization is a customsynchronization procedure in which particular parts of the file tree arenot synchronized either up (i.e., from client to server) or down (i.e.,from server to client). The implementation logic is different fromconventional synchronization in which the file tree is fullydownloaded/uploaded. Selective synchronization has been implemented bycombining logic specific to selective synchronization into the agent.

There are several disadvantages to implementing custom synchronizationprocedures from synchronization procedure sources by directly modifyingthe synchronization agent. Such modifications require programming timeand expertise with the synchronization system's configuration andprogramming language. Moreover, the synchronization procedure sourcesare generally external to the development of the file synchronizationsystem. The synchronization procedures can come from a synchronizationprocedure source such as an application that uses a differentprogramming language than the synchronization system or from a separatebusiness entity or team. Implementing custom synchronization proceduresin such circumstances can require the involvement of multiple peoplehaving different backgrounds, entity affiliations, team affiliations,and technical experience. The complexity and multiple people involved insuch customization makes it inefficient. In addition, licensingrestrictions can prevent incorporating code from another application(e.g., an application that uses open source code) into a contentsynchronization system to implement custom procedures. Thus, generally,existing techniques for implementing custom synchronization proceduresfrom synchronization procedure sources by directly modifying the filesynchronization system's agent is often burdensome, impractical,infeasible, and/or impossible.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods disclosed herein provide custom synchronizationprocedures in file synchronization. In certain techniques, a primaryagent monitors for changes, creates synchronization plans tosynchronized changes, and executes the synchronization plans. Theprimary agent interacts with separate custom agents to customize thesynchronization plans. One exemplary technique involves monitoring forlocal changes to a first copy of a file tree and monitoring for updatesfrom another computing device regarding remote changes to a second copyof the file tree. When a change to the first copy of the file tree orthe second copy of the file tree is identified, a synchronization planfor the change is created by the primary agent based on a defaultsynchronization procedure. The synchronization plan is sent to a customagent for customization. The custom agent creates the customsynchronization plan by modifying the synchronization plan and sends thecustom synchronization plan to the primary agent. The customsynchronization plan is then executed by the primary agent.

Certain techniques of the invention additionally or alternativelyprovide delegated synchronization procedures in a file synchronizationsystem. One exemplary technique involves receiving registration by adelegate to control synchronization of a portion of a file tree. Theprimary agent keeps track of multiple delegates registering for variousportions of the file tree. Local changes to a first copy of a file treeand updates from another computing device regarding remote changes to asecond copy of the file tree are monitored. When a change to the firstcopy of the file tree or the second copy of the file tree is identified,the delegate that is responsible for synchronization related to thechange is determined based on the registration. A notification of thechange is then sent to that delegate. Based on receiving thenotification, the delegate develops a delegate-specified synchronizationplan for the change and instructs the primary agent to execute thedelegate-specified synchronization plan. The plan is executed tosynchronize the first copy and second copy of the file tree.

These illustrative features are mentioned not to limit or define thedisclosure, but to provide examples to aid understanding thereof.Additional embodiments are discussed in the Detailed Description, andfurther description is provided there.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other features, embodiments, and advantages of the presentdisclosure are better understood when the following Detailed Descriptionis read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an environment in which one or more embodimentsof the present disclosure can be practiced.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary components of the environment of FIG. 1 forextending file synchronization with custom synchronization procedures.

FIG. 3 illustrates is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary techniquefor extending a file synchronization with custom synchronizationprocedures.

FIG. 4 illustrates is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary techniquefor file synchronization with custom synchronization procedures.

FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary components of the environment of FIG. 1 forextending file synchronization with delegated synchronization control.

FIG. 6 is exemplary flow chart illustrating an exemplary technique fordelegating synchronization procedures.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram depicting an example hardware implementation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, existing techniques for implementing customsynchronization procedures from synchronization procedure sources bydirectly modifying the file synchronization system's agent is oftenburdensome, impractical, infeasible, and/or impossible. The inventionprovides improved techniques for implementing file synchronization usinga file synchronization system.

Certain techniques of the invention provide an extensibility point m afile synchronization system. This allows one or more synchronizationprocedure sources (i.e., applications and business processes) toimplement custom synchronization procedures for certain files, filetypes, folders, etc. The file synchronization system includes a primaryagent that is configured to perform default synchronization procedures.The primary agent, however, also communicates with separate, customagents to identify changes to the default procedures. These customagents can be provided by a file synchronization procedure source (e.g.,application, business unit, team, etc.) that are separate from the filesynchronization system and/or can be written in program languagesdifferent from that of the file synchronization system and one another.

The following provides an example technique for using custom agentsseparate from the primary agent to implement custom synchronizationprocedures. In this example technique, the primary agent monitors localchanges and receives updates from the other computing device to identifyan event that may require synchronization. The primary agent creates arepresentation of a synchronization plan based on a defaultsynchronization procedure. The primary agent sends the synchronizationplan to the custom agents for customization. Each of the custom agentsdetermines whether to respond with changes to the synchronization plan.For example, a custom agent can be configured to identifysynchronizations that involve “read only” files and modifysynchronizations involving those files. Thus, if that custom agentreceives a synchronization plan from the primary agent that relates to a“read only” file synchronization, that custom agent will modify thesynchronization plan to customize it and return the customizedsynchronization plan to the primary agent for execution. The primaryagent receives the customized synchronization plan, checks for validity,and executes the plan.

Certain techniques of the invention implement custom synchronizationprocedures by delegating synchronization tasks to be controlled byseparate delegate agents rather than by the primary agent. The delegatesregister for particular portions of the synchronized file tree, receivenotifications when there are events that may require synchronization totheir respective portions of the synchronized file tree, and execute theappropriate updates according to their own custom synchronizationprocedures. The use of separate delegates enables easier customsynchronization procedure implementation, as well as parallel andprioritized synchronization control. Certain techniques addresspotential conflicts, for example, when an event could potentially impactfiles in portions of the synchronized file tree controlled by multipledelegates. For example, a move event that involves two delegates isseparated into a delete event (handled by one of the delegates) and acreate event (handled by the other delegate).

Techniques of the invention provide numerous advantages over priortechniques. Techniques of the invention provide more efficient andeasier ways to extend a file synchronization system with custom agentsynchronization procedures from multiple and differing synchronizationprocedure sources. The custom synchronization procedures can be createdby different companies or teams. The custom synchronization procedurescan additionally or alternatively be implemented using differenttechnologies that may be impossible to combine or uneconomical tocombine, e.g., JavaScript and C++. The custom synchronization procedurescan additionally or alternatively be implemented at different times. Theseparation of the custom agents and delegates from the filesynchronization system's primary agent enables easier, more efficientimplementation of custom synchronization procedures. The separation alsoallows custom synchronization procedures to be used in circumstances inwhich it was previously impossible, for example, where licenserequirements would have prevented directly modifying the filesynchronization system's agent. In addition, the custom agents anddelegates of the techniques of the invention can be implemented onseparate devices and controlled remotely from client devices. Thisallows bug fixes and procedure changes to be made at any time, ratherthan requiring waiting for client-side file synchronization software tobe updated.

As used herein, the phrase “computing device” refers to any electroniccomponent, machine, equipment, or system that can be instructed to carryout operations. Computing devices will typically, but not necessarily,include a processor that is communicatively coupled to a memory and thatexecutes computer-executable program code and/or accesses informationstored in memory or other storage. Examples of computing devicesinclude, but are not limited to, desktop computers, laptop computers,server computers, tablets, telephones, mobile telephones, televisions,portable data assistant (PDA), e-readers, portable game units, smartwatches, etc.

As used herein, the phrase “file tree” refers to an organizationstructure that relates one or more files and/or folders to one another.Files store electronic content as individually accessible units andfolders identify groups of files and other folders. An example file treeincludes a root folder that identifies zero and/or more files and zeroor more sub-folders, with each sub-folder identifying zero or more filesand zero or more sub-sub-folders, etc.

As used herein, the phrase “file synchronization system” refers tocomputing components used to synchronize a file tree on multiplecomputing devices. File synchronization can be one-way (i.e., updatedfile trees files and folders updated from a source to another computingdevice) or two-way (i.e., updated file tree files and folders copied inboth directions between the computing devices).

As used herein, the phrase “synchronization plan” refers to a set orordering of one or more actions to be executed to accomplish asynchronization. A “default” synchronization is a synchronization planthat will be executed if a custom synchronization plan does not replaceit. A “custom” synchronization plan is a plan that implements a customsynchronization procedure, for example, by modifying a defaultsynchronization plan based on a custom synchronization procedure. Asynchronization plan can be represented using a directed acyclic graph(DAG).

As used herein, the phrase “directed acyclic graph (DAG)” refers to is agraph of nodes and edges that does not include directed cycles, i.e.,there is no way to go from a first node through the edges and othernodes to get back to the first node. Equivalently, a DAG is a directedgraph that has a topological ordering, a sequence of the nodes such thatevery edge is directed from earlier to later in the sequence. Asynchronization plan can be encoded as a directed acyclic graph (DAG)where each node represents a synchronization action such as upload,download or create directory. The synchronization executor's job is toprocess this DAG in a topologically sorted order, so that if there is anedge from node A (action A) to node B (action B), then action A must bedone before action B.

As used herein, the phrase “primary agent” refers to one or moreprocesses performed locally by a computing device to manage thesynchronization of a copy of a file tree on the computing device withcopies on one or more other computing devices. A primary agent can, butneed not necessarily, monitor local and remote copies of file trees forchanges, create default synchronization plans, communicate with customagents to obtain custom synchronization plans, execute default and/orcustom synchronization plans, track delegates, delegate synchronizationactivities to delegates, and/or report on synchronization progress. Inone example, the primary agent is implemented as a primary daemon,running the background on a computing device.

As used herein, the phrase “custom agent” refers to one or moreprocesses performed separately from the primary agent by the same oranother computing device to use a custom synchronization procedure toprovide a custom synchronization plan. A custom agent can implement acustom synchronization procedure provided by a synchronization proceduresource that is different from a source that provides defaultsynchronization procedures. A custom agent can be, but is notnecessarily, implemented in a different programming language than theprogramming language used to implement the primary agent.

As used herein, the phrase “synchronization procedure source” refers toa supplier (e.g., person, team, business unit, business entity,application, etc.) of a synchronization procedure. For example, adeveloper or development team creating a file synchronization system canbe the synchronization procedure source for default synchronizationprocedures of the system. In this example, custom synchronizationprocedures are provided by other synchronization procedure sources,including but not limited to different developers, development teams,business units, business entities, applications, etc.

As used herein, the phrase “delegate” refers to one or more processesperformed separately from the primary agent on the same or anothercomputing device to synchronize a designated portion of a file tree.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an environment 100 in which one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure can be practiced. The environment100 includes one or more user devices, such as a user device 102A up toa user device 102N. Each of the user device is connected to a creativeapparatus 108 via a network 106. A user of the user devices uses variousproducts, applications, or services supported by the creative apparatus108 via the network 106. The user devices correspond to various users.Examples of the users include, but are not limited to, creativeprofessionals or hobbyists who use creative tools to generate, edit,track, or manage creative content, end users, administrators, users whouse document tools to create, edit, track, or manage documents,advertisers, publishers, developers, content owners, content managers,content creators, content viewers, content consumers, designers,editors, any combination of these users, or any other user who usesdigital tools to create, edit, track, or manage digital experiences.

Digital tool, as described herein, includes a tool that is used forperforming a function or a workflow electronically. Examples of thedigital tool include, but are not limited to, content creation tool,content editing tool, content publishing tool, content tracking tool,content managing tool, content printing tool, content consumption tool,any combination of these tools, or any other tool that can be used forcreating, editing, managing, generating, tracking, consuming orperforming any other function or workflow related to content. Digitaltools include the creative apparatus 108.

Digital experience, as described herein, includes experience that can beconsumed through an electronic device. Examples of the digitalexperience include content creating, content editing, content tracking,content publishing, content posting, content printing, content managing,content viewing, content consuming, any combination of theseexperiences, or any other workflow or function that can be performedrelated to content.

Content, as described herein, includes electronic content. Examples ofthe content include, but are not limited to, image, video, web site,webpage, user interface, menu item, tool menu, magazine, slideshow,animation, social post, comment, blog, data feed, audio, advertisement,vector graphic, bitmap, document, any combination of one or morecontent, or any other electronic content.

Examples of the user devices include, but are not limited to, a personalcomputer (PC), tablet computer, a desktop computer, a processing unit,any combination of these devices, or any other suitable device havingone or more processors. Each user device includes at least oneapplication supported by the creative apparatus 108.

It is to be appreciated that following description is now explainedusing the user device 102A as an example and any other user device canbe used.

Examples of the network 106 include, but are not limited to, internet,local area network (LAN), wireless area network, wired area network,wide area network, and the like.

The creative apparatus 108 includes one or more engines for providingone or more digital experiences to the user. The creative apparatus 108can be implemented using one or more servers, one or more platforms withcorresponding application programming interfaces, cloud infrastructureand the like. In addition, each engine can also be implemented using oneor more servers, one or more platforms with corresponding applicationprogramming interfaces, cloud infrastructure and the like. The creativeapparatus 108 also includes a data storage unit 112. The data storageunit 112 can be implemented as one or more databases or one or more dataservers. The data storage unit 112 includes data that is used by theengines of the creative apparatus 108.

A user of the user device 102A visits a webpage or an application storeto explore applications supported by the creative apparatus 108. Thecreative apparatus 108 provides the applications as a software as aservice (SaaS), or as a standalone application that can be installed onthe user device 102A, or as a combination. The user creates an accountwith the creative apparatus 108 by providing user details and also bycreating login details. Alternatively, the creative apparatus 108 canautomatically create login details for the user in response to receiptof the user details. In some embodiments, the user is also prompted toinstall an application manager. The application manager enables the userto manage installation of various applications supported by the creativeapparatus 108 and also to manage other functionalities, such as updates,subscription account and the like, associated with the applications. Theuser details are received by a user management engine 116 and stored asuser data 118 in the data storage unit 112. In some embodiments, theuser data 118 further includes account data 120 under which the userdetails are stored.

The user can either opt for a trial account or can make payment based ontype of account or subscription chosen by the user. Alternatively, thepayment can be based on product or number of products chosen by theuser. Based on payment details of the user, a user operational profile122 is generated by an entitlement engine 124. The user operationalprofile 122 is stored in the data storage unit 112 and indicatesentitlement of the user to various products or services. The useroperational profile 122 also indicates type of user, i.e. free, trial,student, discounted, or paid.

The user management engine 116 and the entitlement engine 124 can be onesingle engine performing the functionalities of both the engines.

The user then installs various applications supported by the creativeapparatus 108 via an application download management engine 126.Application installers or application programs 128 present in the datastorage unit 112 are fetched by the application download managementengine 126 and made available to the user directly or via theapplication manager. In one embodiment, all application programs 128 arefetched and provided to the user via an interface of the applicationmanager. In another embodiment, application programs 128 for which theuser is eligible based on user's operational profile are displayed tothe user. The user then selects the application programs 128 or theapplications that the user wants to download. The application programs128 are then downloaded on the user device 102A by the applicationmanager via the application download management engine 126.Corresponding data regarding the download is also updated in the useroperational profile 122. An application program 128 is an example of thedigital tool. The application download management engine 126 alsomanages process of providing updates to the user device 102A.

Upon download, installation and launching of an application program, inone embodiment, the user is asked to provide the login details. A checkis again made by the user management engine 116 and the entitlementengine 124 to ensure that the user is entitled to use the applicationprogram. In another embodiment, direct access is provided to theapplication program as the user is already logged into the applicationmanager.

The user uses one or more application programs 128 to create one or moreprojects or assets. In addition, the user also has a workspace withineach application program. The workspace, as described herein, includessetting of the application program, setting of tools or setting of userinterface provided by the application program, and any other setting orproperties specific to the application program. Each user has aworkspace. The workspace, the projects or the assets are then stored asapplication program data 130 in the data storage unit 112 by asynchronization engine 132. The synchronization engine 132 also includesa font engine 134 for synchronizing or storing fonts included as part ofthe application program data 130. The application program data 130 canbe specific to the user or can be shared with other users based onrights management. The rights management is performed by a rightsmanagement engine 136. Rights management rules or criteria are stored asrights management data 138 in the data storage unit 112.

The application program data 130 includes one or more assets 140. Theassets 140 can be a shared asset which the user wants to share withother users or which the user wants to offer on a marketplace. Theassets 140 can also be shared across multiple application programs

128. Each asset includes metadata 142. Examples of the metadata 142include, but are not limited to, font, color, size, shape, coordinate, acombination of any of these, and the like. In addition, in oneembodiment, each asset also includes a file. Examples of the fileinclude, but are not limited to, an image 144, text 146, a video 148, afont 150, a document 152, a combination of any of these, and the like.In another embodiment, an asset only includes the metadata 142.

The application program data 130 also include project data 154 andworkspace data 156. In one embodiment, the project data 154 includes theassets 140. In another embodiment, the assets 140 are standalone assets.Similarly, the workspace data 156 can be part of the project data 154 inone embodiment while it may be standalone data in another embodiment.

The user can have one or more user devices. The application program data130 is accessible by the user from any device, i.e. including the devicewhich was not used to create the assets 140. This is achieved by thesynchronization engine 132 that stores the application program data 130in the data storage unit 112 and makes the application program data 130available for access by the user or other users via any device. Beforeaccessing the application program data 130 by the user from any otherdevice or by any other user, the user or the other user may need toprovide login details for authentication if not already logged in. Else,if the user or the other user are logged in then a newly created assetor updates to the application program data 130 are provided in realtime. The rights management engine 136 is also called to determinewhether the newly created asset or the updates can be provided to theother user or not. The workspace data 156 enables the synchronizationengine 132 to provide same workspace configuration to the user on anyother device or to the other user based on the rights management data138.

In various embodiments, various types of synchronization can beachieved. For example, the user can pick a font or a color from the userdevice 102A using a first application program and can use the font orthe color in a second application program on any other device. If theuser shares the font or the color with other users, then the other userscan also use the font or the color. All this synchronization can happenin real time. Similarly, synchronization of any type of the applicationprogram data 130 can be performed.

In some embodiments, the user interaction with the application programs128 is also tracked by an application analytics engine 158 and stored asapplication analytics data 160. The application analytics data 160includes, for example, usage of a tool, usage of a feature, usage of aworkflow, usage of the assets 140, and the like. The applicationanalytics data 160 can include the usage data on a per user basis andcan also include the usage data on a per tool basis or per feature basisor per workflow basis or any other basis. The application analyticsengine 158 embeds a piece of code in the application programs 128 thatenables an application program to collect the usage data and send it tothe application analytics engine 158. The application analytics engine158 stores the usage data as the application analytics data 160 andprocesses the application analytics data 160 to draw meaningful output.For example, the application analytics engine 158 can draw an outputthat the user uses “Tool 4” maximum number of times. The output of theapplication analytics engine 158 is used by a personalization engine 162to personalize tool menu for the user to show “Tool 4” on top. Othertypes of personalization can also be performed based on the applicationanalytics data 158. In addition, the personalization engine 162 can alsouse the workspace data 156 or the user data 118 including userpreferences to personalize one or more application programs 128 for theuser.

In some embodiments, the application analytics data 160 includes dataindicating status of project of the user. For example, if the user waspreparing an article in a digital publishing application and what wasleft was publishing the prepared article at the time the user quit thedigital publishing application then the application analytics engine 158tracks the state. Now when the user next opens the digital publishingapplication on another device then the user is indicated the state andoptions are provided to the user for publishing using the digitalpublishing application or any other application. In addition, whilepreparing the article recommendation can also be made by thesynchronization engine 132 to incorporate some of other assets saved bythe user and relevant for the article. Such recommendation can begenerated using one or more engines as described herein.

The creative apparatus 108 also includes a community engine 164 whichenables creation of various communities and collaboration among thecommunities. A community, as described herein, includes a group of usersthat share at least one common interest. The community can be closed,i.e. limited to a number of users or can be open, i.e. anyone canparticipate. The community enables the users to share each other's workand comment or like each other's work. The work includes the applicationprogram data 140. The community engine 164 stores any data correspondingto the community, such as work shared on the community and comments orlikes received for the work as community data 166. The community data166 also includes notification data and is used for notifying otherusers by the community engine in case of any activity related to thework or new work being shared. The community engine 164 works inconjunction with the synchronization engine 132 to provide collaborativeworkflows to the user. For example, the user can create an image and canrequest for some expert opinion or expert editing. An expert user canthen either edit the image as per the user liking or can provide expertopinion. The editing and providing of the expert opinion by the expertis enabled using the community engine 164 and the synchronization engine132. In collaborative workflows, each of a plurality of users areassigned different tasks related to the work.

The creative apparatus 108 also includes a marketplace engine 168 forproviding marketplace to one or more users. The marketplace engine 168enables the user to offer an asset for selling or using. The marketplaceengine 168 has access to the assets 140 that the user wants to offer onthe marketplace. The creative apparatus 108 also includes a searchengine 170 to enable searching of the assets 140 in the marketplace. Thesearch engine 170 is also a part of one or more application programs 128to enable the user to perform search for the assets 140 or any othertype of the application program data 130. The search engine 170 canperform a search for an asset using the metadata 142 or the file.

The creative apparatus 108 also includes a document engine 172 forproviding various document related workflows, including electronic ordigital signature workflows, to the user. The document engine 172 canstore documents as the assets 140 in the data storage unit 112 or canmaintain a separate document repository (not shown in FIG. 1 ).

It is to be appreciated that the engines and working of the engines aredescribed as examples herein and the engines can be used for performingany step in providing digital experience to the user.

Extensible File Synchronization Using Custom Agents

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary components of the environment of FIG. 1 forextending file synchronization with custom synchronization procedures.In FIG. 2 , a file tree is synchronized between two user devices 102 a,102 b and on the creative apparatus 132. The user device 102 a includesa synchronization app 201 that includes a first copy of the file tree202. The creative apparatus 108 has synchronization engine 132 thatmaintains a second (cloud) copy of the file tree 210, and the userdevice 102 b includes a synchronization app 211 that includes a thirdcopy of the file tree 212. These copies of the file tree 201, 210, 212are synchronized by components on the user devices 102 a, 102 b asdescribed below.

The user device 102 a includes a primary agent 203 and custom agents 204a, 204 b. The primary agent 203 manages the synchronization of the firstcopy of a file tree 202 on the computing device 102 a with the second(cloud) copy of the file tree 210 on the creative apparatus 108. In thisexample, the primary agent 203 monitors the first copy of a file tree202 and receives updates regarding changes to the second copy of filetree 210, creates default synchronization plans, communicates withcustom agents 204 a, 204 b to obtain custom synchronization plans,executes default and/or custom synchronization plans, and/or reports onsynchronization progress. Custom agents (not shown) accessed by primaryagent 203 to customize synchronization can additionally or alternativelybe located on creative apparatus 108 or on another remote server (notshown).

The user device 102 b includes a primary agent 233 and custom agent 214.The primary agent 233 manages the synchronization of the third copy of afile tree 212 on the computing device 102 b with the second (cloud) copyof the file tree 210 on the creative apparatus 108. In this example, theprimary agent 233 monitors the third copy of a file tree 212 andreceives updates regarding changes to the second copy of file tree 210,creates default synchronization plans, communicates with custom agent214 to obtain custom synchronization plans, executes default and/orcustom synchronization plans, and/or reports on synchronizationprogress.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary technique 300 for extending a filesynchronization with custom synchronization procedures. The exemplarytechnique 300 can be implemented by a primary agent such as the primaryagent 203 communicating with a custom agent such as the custom agent 204a of FIG. 2 , although other devices and configurations can also beimplemented.

Technique 300 involves monitoring local changes to a first copy of afile tree and updates from another computer device regarding remotechanges to a second copy of the file tree, as shown in block 301. In oneexample, the primary agent monitors the local copy of the file tree forchanges by detecting creation, deletion, and update events to files andfolders saved locally in memory on the computing device.

Technique 300 further involves identifying a change to the first copy ofthe file tree or the second copy of the file tree, as shown in block302. Thus, when a user opens a file, makes a change to the file, andthen saves the file locally, the primary agent identifies the change.Similarly, if the user creates a new file or folder, deletes a file orfolder, or moves a file or folder locally, the primary agent identifiesthe change. When the second copy of the file tree is changed, forexample, when a separate user on another device makes a change that issynchronized with the cloud server, the primary agent receives anotification that the cloud server has been changed and identifying thenature of the change.

Technique 300 further involves creating a synchronization plan for thechange based on a default synchronization procedure, as shown in block303. The synchronization plan provides an ordering of one or moreactions to be executed to accomplish synchronization based on thechange. The synchronization plan initially is a default synchronizationplan based on a default synchronization procedure, i.e., a procedurethat will be used to synchronize changes unless replaced with a customsynchronization procedure. Default synchronization procedures arespecified by a default synchronization procedure source such thebusiness entity or team that implements the file synchronization system.The default synchronization procedures can, but do not necessarily,provide the most common synchronization actions to perform tosynchronize a change based on the type of the change. For example, themost common action when new version of a file is saved locally mayinvolve uploading the new version of the file to replace the priorversion of the file on the cloud server.

The synchronization plan can be encoded as a directed acyclic graph(DAG). In such a DAG, each node represents a synchronization action suchas upload, download, create directory, rename directory, etc. A DAGprovides a topologically sorted order for executing synchronizationactions. For example, if there is an edge from action A to action B,then A must be done before B.

Technique 300 further involves sending the synchronization plan to acustom agent for customization, as shown in block 304. The custom agentcan be local on the same machine or stored on a remote server. Sendingthe synchronization plan can include encoding the synchronization plan(e.g., a DAG) in a suitable format. For inter-process communication(IPC) the format could be a serialized text format. For an in-processplugin, the format could be a graph of in-memory objects. Sending thesynchronization plan to the custom agent can involve sending it over apublic network such as the Internet to a cloud service forcustomization.

The custom agent receives and amends the synchronization plan to createa custom synchronization plan. For example, the custom agent can createthe custom synchronization plan by deleting a node or reversing adirection of an upload or download action in the synchronization plan.The custom agent can create the custom synchronization plan using acustom synchronization procedure specified by a custom synchronizationprocedure source different from the default synchronization proceduresource. Thus, developers, teams, business units, business entities, andothers who are separate from the general file synchronizationimplementation can extend and customize the file synchronizationcapabilities without having to enlist the help of file synchronizationsystem implementers. Rather the file synchronization is extensible andcan be easily extended using a custom agent that is separate from thefile synchronization general implementation and default procedures.Thus, the custom synchronization procedure source can be a secondbusiness entity or team that implements an application or businessprocess separate from implementation of the file synchronization system.Moreover, the custom agent can be implemented in a second programminglanguage different from a first programming language in which the filesynchronization general implementation and/or default procedures areimplemented. Multiple custom procedures can come from different sourcesand be implemented m different programming languages. This providesadditional flexibility and efficiency.

Technique 300 further involves receiving a custom synchronization planfrom the custom agent, as shown in block 305. After receiving the customsynchronization plan, the custom synchronization plan is checked forvalidity. For example, if the synchronization plan represented a DAG,the primary agent checks to ensure that the custom synchronization planstill represents a DAG. The primary agent further checks thatdependencies of operations have not been wrongly deleted, that thefiles/folders being uploaded/downloaded do exist on the server and/orlocal side, and that the operations specified can be executedsuccessfully, e.g. that no files are being creating using asystem-reserved name, etc.

Technique 300 further involves executing the custom synchronization planto synchronize the first copy of the file tree and the second copy ofthe file tree, as shown in block

306. For example, if a file needs to be uploaded to the server toreplace an older version of the file on the server, the primary agentssends the file to the server with instructions for replacing the olderversion of the file with the new file.

The technique 300 of FIG. 3 can involve the use of multiple customagents. In such cases, the primary agent can contact an appropriatecustom agent for customization in a variety of ways. In one example, theprimary agent keeps track of all custom agents. When the primary agentidentifies a change, it sends a synchronization plan for the change toall of the custom agents. If any of the custom agents is configured tocustomize synchronization for that type of change, the respective customagent responds with a custom synchronization plan. If none of the customagents responds within a predetermined amount of time, the primary agentproceeds with executing the (default) synchronization plan.

Certain techniques of the invention involve a primary agent identifyingmultiple changes to a first copy of the file tree or a second copy ofthe file tree, sending synchronization plans for the multiple changes tomultiple custom agents, receiving custom synchronization plans from themultiple custom agents, and executing the custom synchronization plans.In this way, the file synchronization system is extended with customsynchronization procedures for different circumstances based on customprocedures that can be provided by multiple, different custom proceduresources.

FIG. 4 illustrates is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary techniquefor file synchronization with custom synchronization procedures. User401 first creates a folder /RO/ and then creates a file userfile.pdf.The primary agent 203 identifies these changes and sends asynchronization plan 402 to custom agent 204 a. The synchronization plan402 includes a DAG with a “create/RO” node linked to a subsequent“create/RO/userfile.pdf” node. The custom agent 204 a analyzes thesynchronization plan 402 and applies a custom synchronization procedure.In this case, the custom agent determines that creating the folder isnot allowed because it is read only and the custom synchronizationprocedure for read only folders is to not allow creation of the folders.Accordingly, the custom agent deletes the nodes and produces customsynchronization plan 403, which essentially will perform no change onthe server based on the local change and instead result in notifying theuser that the local change was not allowed and/or cannot be synchronizedwith the server. The custom synchronization plan 403 is then returned tothe primary agent 203 for execution.

Generally, a custom agent can identify a circumstance to customize achange based on identifying an attribute of a file, a folder, anorganizational structure of a file tree, or any other appropriatecharacteristic associated with the change. Thus, in addition to theproviding a custom agent to provide custom procedures for synchronizingread only folders and files, custom agents can be used for images,videos, files being editing by more than one user, and/or any otherfiles of folders that have particular characteristics. In one example,custom procedures are provided for files that are used by a particularcreative application. For example, custom synchronization procedures canbe used to synchronize content files that are used in a web pagecreation application, e.g., applying special synchronization rules forimages, videos, and other elements of web pages being created. Inanother example, custom components can be used to enforce namingrequirements. Thus a custom agent can receive a change, check to see ifthe change involves a name that violates a naming condition, and, if so,customize the synchronization plan accordingly. In another example,custom synchronization rules can be provided for collaborations.Collaborations include one or more folders that more than one user canwork together on. Unlike for conventional folder synchronization inwhich when a user deletes a folder or file locally the folder or file isdeleted on cloud server too, a special synchronization rule forcollaborations can specify that a locally deleted folder or file is toremain on the server for use by others in the collaboration. As anotherexample, a corporate entity using the file synchronization system mayuse a custom synchronization procedure to enforce special requirementsaround data security, for example, to prevent files containing the word“private” from being uploaded to a cloud server.

The custom agents in the above examples are implemented separately fromthe primary agents. Thus, rather than using a single primary agent thatencapsulates all of the logic for custom synchronization procedures, thelogic of these procedures is separated. Splitting the logic up intomultiple programs makes the software engineering simpler and moreefficient. Moreover, the custom agents can be tailored to addressparticular circumstances and thus compartmentalize the synchronizationprocess in an organized and easy to change and extend manner.

Extensible File Synchronization Using Delegates

FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary components of the environment of FIG. 1 forextending file synchronization with delegated synchronization control.In FIG. 5 , a file tree is synchronized between the user devices 102 aand the creative apparatus 132. The user device 102 a includes asynchronization app 201 that includes a first copy of the file tree 202.The creative apparatus 108 has synchronization engine 132 that maintainsa second (cloud) copy of the file tree 210. These copies of the filetree 201,210, are synchronized by components on the user devices 102 aas described below.

The user device 102 a includes a primary agent 203 and delegates 501a-c. The primary agent 203 manages the synchronization of the first copyof a file tree 202 on the computing device 102 a with the second (cloud)copy of the file tree 210 on the creative apparatus 108. In thisexample, the primary agent 203 monitors the first copy of a file tree202 and receives updates regarding changes to the second copy of filetree 210, identifies which delegates are registered to synchronizeparticular changes based on delegate registration, and delegatesresponsibility for synchronizing changes to the delegates. The primaryagent 203 and delegates 501 a-c communicate via any IPC mechanism, e.g.,remote procedure call (RPC), datagram, custom protocol, HTTP, etc., orvia any other appropriate communication technique.

In this example, the primary agent 203 orchestrates synchronization byusing delegates 501 a-c that control different portions of the filetree. The delegates 501 a-c are able to implement custom synchronizationprocedures because they are separate from the primary agent 203.Moreover, use of the delegates 501 a-c makes synchronization quicker,more efficient, and avoids bottlenecks. Each of the delegates 501 a-creceives information about changes to its respective portion of the filetree and uses custom procedures for changes in that portion. Thedelegates 501 a-c create custom synchronization plans for changes andinstruct the primary agent 203 to execute the plans. Unlike customagents described above with respect to FIGS. 2-3 , the delegates 501 a-cactually control the synchronization rather than simply amending asynchronization plan. The delegates 501 a-c are making thesynchronization decisions without oversight from the primary agent 203,which simply executes the synchronizations as instructed by thedelegates 501 a-c.

FIG. 6 is exemplary flow chart illustrating an exemplary technique 600for delegating synchronization procedures. The exemplary technique 600can be implemented by a primary agent such as the primary agent 203communicating with delegates 501 a-c of FIG. 5 , although other devicesand configurations can also be implemented.

Technique 600 involves receiving registration by a delegate to controlsynchronization of a portion of a file tree, as shown in block 601. Inan implementation involving multiple delegates, multiple registrationscan be received and tracked using a list or other appropriate storagetechnique. The multiple delegates can register for different portions ofthe file tree. For example, one delegate can register for all foldersand files with folder A, another delegate can register for all foldersand files within Folder B, etc. A portion of a file tree can thus be afolder and all of its sub-folders and files. In another example, aportion of a file tree is files of a particular type. In this example, adelegate can be registered to synchronize particular file types. As aspecific example, a delegate can be registered to synchronize videofiles using custom synchronization procedures that are appropriate forvideo files.

In one technique, when synchronization is commenced by the primaryagent, delegates have a limited amount of time to register to control apart of the file tree. Once synchronization begins running, delegatescan no longer register and the files that have not been delegated aresynced using default synchronization procedures by the primary agent.Delegates provide a list of paths that they wish to control, or a listof file types, or other criteria. The primary agent will check beforeregistration is complete that no file is controlled by two delegates andresolves any conflicts. When a delegate is in control of a portion ofthe file tree, the primary agent will not download or upload any changesin those files until instructed to do so by the appropriate delegate.

Technique 600 further involves monitoring changes to a first copy of afile tree and updates from another computing device regarding remotechanges to a second copy of the file tree, as shown in block 602. In oneexample, the primary agent monitors the local copy of the file tree forchanges by detecting creation, deletion, and update events to files andfolders saved locally in memory on the computing device.

Technique 600 further involves identifying a change to the first copy ofthe file tree or the second copy of the file tree, as shown in block603. Thus, when a user opens a file, makes a change to the file, andthen saves the file locally, the primary agent identifies the change.Similarly, if the user creates a new file or folder, deletes a file orfolder, or moves a file or folder locally, the primary agent identifiesthe change. When the second copy of the file tree is changed, forexample, when a separate user on another device makes a change that issynchronized with the cloud server, the primary agent receives anotification that the cloud server has been changed and identifying thenature of the change.

Technique 600 further involves determining that the delegate isresponsible for synchronization related to the change based on theregistration, as shown in block 604. For example, if the change affectsa file with a folder in the portion of the file tree for which thedelegate is responsible, the primary agent determines that the delegateis responsible for synchronization related to the change.

The primary agent can employ conflict resolution procedures to addressparticular circumstances in which a change affects multiple portions ofa file tree, both within and beyond the scope of a delegate'sresponsibility. For example, if the primary agent determines that achange requires deleting or moving a parent folder of the portionregistered to the delegate, where the delegate is not responsible forthe parent folder, the primary agent can delete or move the parentfolder and the portion within it registered to the delegate. This avoidsa potential conflict. In another example, the primary agent identifiesthat a change requires moving a file or folder from a first portion ofthe file tree for which the delegate registered to a second portion ofthe file tree for which a second delegate registered. In thiscircumstance, the primary agent breaks the move up into a deletion and acreation that can be separately handled by the different delegates eachhandling the operation relevant to its own portion of the file tree.

Technique 600 further involves sending a notification of the change tothe delegate, as shown in block 605. Technique 600 further involvesexecuting a delegate-specified synchronization plan for the change tosynchronize the first copy of the file tree and the second copy of thefile tree, as shown in block 606.

Extensible file synchronization techniques that use delegates can employvarious mechanisms to provide efficient, fast, and manageablesynchronization. A first mechanism is the delegate registration processdiscussed above with respect to block 601 that makes it easy fordelegates to be added to the system.

A second mechanism is the change monitoring process discussed above withrespect to blocks 602 and 603 that identifies changes and responsibledelegates. In change monitoring, the primary agent will receive updatesabout changes to the file tree on other computers, as well as monitorfor changes on the local disk. Notifications about delegated files aresent to delegates so that they will have the information necessary tokeep the files in synchronization according to their own business logic.

A third mechanism is a conflict resolution process discussed above withrespect to block 604 for handling potential conflicts between delegatesand the primary agent and/or themselves. In handling of conflictingoperations, certain operations that happen locally (on the localmachine) and remotely (on another machine synchronizing the same filetree) may affect the primary agent and/or multiple delegates. Thetechniques can ensure that each delegate only downloads and uploadschanges to their own portion of the synchronization tree. To do so, theprimary agent must enforce rules about what happens in conflictsituations. The rules are designed to ensure that each conflictingoperation is handled by exactly one agent, with other agents beinginformed where necessary.

A fourth mechanism is an execution mechanism. In one implementation, theprimary agent provides IPC facilities allowing the delegates to set uptransfers for the file tree portions that each controls. The transferscause downloads from other computers synchronizing the file tree orcause uploads to other computers synchronizing the file tree. Once thedelegate processes the changes that have been received and made adecision about what actions it wants to perform locally and on theserver. The delegate encodes the actions and hands it to primary agentto be executed. This keeps the execution procedures in a single locationat the primary agent. In an alternative implementation, delegatesperform the some or all of the synchronization actions themselves.

A fifth mechanism provides for aggregation of synchronization progressand state. In one implementation, the primary agent reports state, e.g.actively synchronizing, or progress, e.g. synchronized 1 file of Nfiles, for display on the user device and/or to a synchronizationadministrator. In certain techniques of the invention, delegates providetheir own state and progress to the primary agent, which will aggregatethe information into a single status report displayed or otherwiseprovided to the user.

There are numerous advantages to being able to delegate to delegatesrather than have a single process perform all synchronizations,including custom synchronization procedures. First, there is a staticadvantage. Essentially the use of delegates makes it easy to implementdifferent synchronization procedures for different circumstances. Ifthere is a desire for a policy to not synchronize particular file types,the synchronization of those file types can be easily controlled using atargeted delegate. Similarly, if there is a desire for a policy to notsynchronize files older than six months, the synchronization of thosefile types can be easily controlled using another targeted delegate.Second there are non-static advantages. For example, an organization isable to use synchronization procedures to control when information issynchronized to user devices. As a specific example, in compliancepractices, certain tasks need to be performed every monthly, quarter,every six months, etc. Synchronization procedures implemented viadelegates can enable the company to use synchronization to push contentonto employees' machines that are relevant to those particularcompliance or other business activity at the relevant times.

Delegates can also be used to enforce a particular order ofsynchronization actions. For example, a particular type of creativecontent can include a key file and linked files. The creative contentuses a compound file format in which the order of synchronization needsto be specified, e.g., the document with the layout should synchronizedfirst, etc.

Exemplary Computing Environment

Any suitable computing system or group of computing systems can be usedto implement the techniques and methods disclosed herein. For example,FIG. 7 is a block diagram depicting examples of implementations of suchcomponents. The computing device 70 can include a processor 71 that iscommunicatively coupled to a memory 72 and that executescomputer-executable program code and/or accesses information stored inmemory 72 or storage 73. The processor 71 may comprise a microprocessor,an application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), a state machine, orother processing device. The processor 71 can include one processingdevice or more than one processing device. Such a processor can includeor may be in communication with a computer-readable medium storinginstructions that, when executed by the processor 71, cause theprocessor to perform the operations described herein.

The memory 72 and storage 73 can include any suitable non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium can include anyelectronic, optical, magnetic, or other storage device capable ofproviding a processor with computer-readable instructions or otherprogram code. Non-limiting examples of a computer-readable mediuminclude a magnetic disk, memory chip, ROM, RAM, an ASIC, a configuredprocessor, optical storage, magnetic tape or other magnetic storage, orany other medium from which a computer processor can read instructions.The instructions may include processor-specific instructions generatedby a compiler and/or an interpreter from code written in any suitablecomputer-programming language, including, for example, C, C++, C#,Visual Basic, Java, Python, Perl, JavaScript, and ActionScript.

The computing device 70 may also comprise a number of external orinternal devices such as input or output devices. For example, thecomputing device is shown with an input/output (“1/0”) interface 74 thatcan receive input from input devices or provide output to outputdevices. A communication interface 75 may also be included in thecomputing device 70 and can include any device or group of devicessuitable for establishing a wired or wireless data connection to one ormore data networks. Non-limiting examples of the communication interface75 include an Ethernet network adapter, a modem, and/or the like. Thecomputing device 70 can transmit messages as electronic or opticalsignals via the communication interface 75. A bus 76 can also beincluded to communicatively couple one or more components of thecomputing device 70.

The computing device 70 can execute program code that configures theprocessor 71 to perform one or more of the operations described above.The program code can include one or more modules. The program code maybe resident in the memory 72, storage 73, or any suitablecomputer-readable medium and may be executed by the processor 71 or anyother suitable processor. In some embodiments, modules can be residentin the memory 72. In additional or alternative embodiments, one or moremodules can be resident in a memory that is accessible via a datanetwork, such as a memory accessible to a cloud service.

Numerous specific details are set forth herein to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the claimed subject matter. However, those skilled inthe art will understand that the claimed subject matter may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, methods,apparatuses, or systems that would be known by one of ordinary skillhave not been described in detail so as not to obscure the claimedsubject matter.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, it is appreciated that throughoutthis specification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,”“computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” and “identifying” or the likerefer to actions or processes of a computing device, such as one or morecomputers or a similar electronic computing device or devices, thatmanipulate or transform data represented as physical electronic ormagnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other informationstorage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of thecomputing platform.

The system or systems discussed herein are not limited to any particularhardware architecture or configuration. A computing device can includeany suitable arrangement of components that provides a resultconditioned on one or more inputs. Suitable computing devices includemultipurpose microprocessor-based computer systems accessing storedsoftware that programs or configures the computing system from a generalpurpose computing apparatus to a specialized computing apparatusimplementing one or more embodiments of the present subject matter. Anysuitable programming, scripting, or other type of language orcombinations of languages may be used to implement the teachingscontained herein in software to be used in programming or configuring acomputing device.

Embodiments of the methods disclosed herein may be performed in theoperation of such computing devices. The order of the blocks presentedin the examples above can be varied—for example, blocks can bere-ordered, combined, and/or broken into sub-blocks. Certain blocks orprocesses can be performed in parallel.

The use of “adapted to” or “configured to” herein is meant as open andinclusive language that does not foreclose devices adapted to orconfigured to perform additional tasks or steps. Additionally, the useof “based on” is meant to be open and inclusive, in that a process,step, calculation, or other action “based on” one or more recitedconditions or values may, in practice, be based on additional conditionsor values beyond those recited. Headings, lists, and numbering includedherein are for ease of explanation only and are not meant to belimiting.

While the present subject matter has been described in detail withrespect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated thatthose skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of theforegoing, may readily produce alterations to, variations of, andequivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understoodthat the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of examplerather than limitation, and does not preclude inclusion of suchmodifications, variations, and/or additions to the present subjectmatter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, performed by a computing device, forextending a file synchronization system with custom synchronizationprocedures, the method comprising: monitoring, by a primary agent on thecomputing device, local changes to a first copy of a file tree andupdates from another computing device regarding remote changes to asecond copy of the file tree; identifying, by the primary agent, achange to the first copy of the file tree or the second copy of the filetree; creating, by the primary agent, a synchronization plan for thechange, wherein the synchronization plan comprises a directed acyclicgraph (DAG) including a set of synchronization actions to be executed bythe primary agent, and an ordering of the set of synchronization actionsrepresented, wherein the set of synchronization actions comprises atleast one of upload file, move file, rename file, download file, deletefile, create directory, move directory, rename directory, downloaddirectory, and delete directory; sending, by the primary agent viaelectronic communication, the synchronization plan to a custom agent forcustomization, including the set of synchronization actions to beexecuted by the primary agent and an attribute associated with thechange; receiving, by the primary agent via electronic communication, acustom synchronization plan from the custom agent, wherein the customagent determined, based on the attribute, a requirement to create thecustom synchronization plan and created the custom synchronization planby modifying the DAG representing the synchronization plan, wherein thecustom synchronization plan includes at least one of the set ofsynchronization actions; and modifying, by the primary agent, files ofthe first copy of the file tree or the second copy of the file treebased on the custom synchronization plan.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein creating the synchronization plan comprises the primary agentusing a default synchronization procedure specified by a defaultsynchronization procedure source, and wherein the custom agent createsthe custom synchronization plan using a custom synchronization procedurespecified by a custom synchronization procedure source different fromthe default synchronization procedure source.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the default synchronization procedure source is a first businessentity or team that implements the file synchronization system; and thecustom synchronization procedure source is a second business entity orteam that implements an application or business process separate fromimplementation of the file synchronization system.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein creating the synchronization plan comprises the primaryagent using a first program developed in a first programming language,wherein the custom agent creates the custom synchronization plan using asecond program developed in a second programming language different fromthe first programming language.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: identifying, by the primary agent, multiple changes to thefirst copy of the file tree or the second copy of the file tree; andexecuting, by the primary agent, the custom synchronization plan tosynchronize the first copy of the file tree and the second copy of thefile tree with respect to the multiple changes.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein sending, by the primary agent, the synchronization plan tothe custom agent for customization comprises sending the synchronizationplan locally to the custom agent on the computing device.
 7. The methodof claim 1, wherein sending, by the primary agent, the synchronizationplan to the custom agent for customization comprises sending thesynchronization plan to the custom agent on a remote computing device.8. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the synchronization plancomprises creating the DAG, wherein nodes of the DAG represent the setof synchronization actions performed in a topologically sorted orderwhen the synchronization plan is executed.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein creating the synchronization plan comprises representing the DAGin a serialized text format or graph of in-memory objects.
 10. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the custom agent creates the customsynchronization plan by deleting, renaming, or moving a node, changingan add to a delete, or reversing a direction of an upload or downloadaction.
 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising checking, by theprimary agent, that the custom synchronization plan has a same graphstructure as the synchronization plan created by the primary agent byensuring that the DAG is still directed and a-cyclical.
 12. A methodcomprising: monitoring local changes to a first copy of a file tree andupdates from another computing device regarding remote changes to asecond copy of the file tree; identifying a change to the first copy ofthe file tree or the second copy of the file tree; creating, by aprimary agent, a synchronization plan for the change, wherein thesynchronization plan comprises a directed acyclic graph (DAG) includinga set of synchronization actions to be executed by the primary agent,and an ordering of the set of synchronization actions represented,wherein the set of synchronization actions comprises at least one ofupload file, move file, rename file, download file, delete file, createdirectory, move directory, rename directory, download directory, anddelete directory; creating, by a custom agent, a custom synchronizationplan by modifying the DAG, wherein the custom synchronization planincludes at least one of the set of synchronization actions; andmodifying, by the primary agent, files of the first copy of the filetree or the second copy of the file tree based on the customsynchronization plan.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein creating thesynchronization plan comprises the primary agent using a defaultsynchronization procedure specified by a default synchronizationprocedure source, and wherein the custom agent creates the customsynchronization plan using a custom synchronization procedure specifiedby a custom synchronization procedure source different from the defaultsynchronization procedure source.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein adefault synchronization procedure source is a first business entity orteam that implements a file synchronization system; and the customsynchronization procedure source is a second business entity or teamthat implements an application or business process separate fromimplementation of the file synchronization system.
 15. The method ofclaim 12, wherein creating the synchronization plan comprises theprimary agent using a first program developed in a first programminglanguage, wherein the custom agent creates the custom synchronizationplan using a second program developed in a second programming languagedifferent from the first programming language.
 16. The method of claim12, further comprising: identifying, by the primary agent, multiplechanges to the first copy of the file tree or the second copy of thefile tree; and executing, by the primary agent, the customsynchronization plan to synchronize the first copy of the file tree andthe second copy of the file tree with respect to the multiple changes.17. The method of claim 12, wherein creating the synchronization plancomprises creating the DAG, and wherein nodes of the DAG represent theset of synchronization actions performed in a topologically sorted orderwhen the synchronization plan is executed.
 18. A system for filesynchronization with custom synchronization procedures, the systemcomprising: one or more processors; and one or more non-transitorycomputer readable mediums comprising instructions, wherein, when theinstructions are executed, at least one of the one or more processorsperforms operations comprising: monitoring, at a primary agent, localchanges to a first copy of a file tree and updates from anothercomputing device regarding remote changes to a second copy of the filetree; identifying a change to the first copy of the file tree or thesecond copy of the file tree; creating, by the primary agent, asynchronization plan for the change, wherein the synchronization plancomprises a directed acyclic graph (DAG) including a set ofsynchronization actions to be executed by the primary agent, and anordering of the set of synchronization actions represented, wherein theset of synchronization actions comprises at least one of upload file,move file, rename file, download file, delete file, create directory,move directory, rename directory, download directory, and deletedirectory; sending, by the primary agent via electronic communication,the synchronization plan to a custom agent, and a second custom agent,including the set of synchronization actions to be executed by theprimary agent and an attribute associated with the change; receiving acustom synchronization plan and a second custom synchronization plan atthe primary agent via electronic communication; validating, by theprimary agent, the custom synchronization plan and the second customsynchronization plan; modifying, by the primary agent, the first copy ofthe file tree and the second copy of the file tree based on the customsynchronization plan; receiving, at each of the custom agent and thesecond custom agent, the synchronization plan, including determining,based on the attribute, a requirement to create the customsynchronization plan and the second custom synchronization plan,respectively; creating, by the custom agent and the second custom agent,the custom synchronization plan and the second custom synchronizationplan, respectively, by modifying the DAG representing thesynchronization plan, wherein each of the custom synchronization planand the second custom synchronization plan includes at least one of theset of synchronization actions; and sending, by the custom agent and thesecond custom agent, the custom synchronization plan and the secondcustom synchronization plan, respectively, to the primary agent.
 19. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein: creating the synchronization plan comprisesthe primary agent using a default synchronization procedure specified bya default synchronization procedure source; creating the customsynchronization plan comprises the custom agent using a customsynchronization procedure specified by a custom synchronizationprocedure source different from the default synchronization proceduresource; and creating the second custom synchronization plan comprisesthe second custom agent using a second custom synchronization procedurespecified by a second custom synchronization procedure source differentfrom the default synchronization procedure source.